Floor covering having a removable decorative inlay

ABSTRACT

A floor covering containing a decorative pattern is described. The floor covering has a field of hooks substantially covering a floor to receive decorative overlaid pieces. The covering further has a carrier sheet comprising a top side substantially covered in hooks, such hooks being one half of a hook and loop attachment system, and a bottom side substantially covered in loops, such loops being a second half of a hook and loop attachment system. The carrier sheet is detachably attached by its loops to the field of hooks. The covering further has a first set of decorative pieces having a bottom side substantially covered in loops, such being one half of a hook and loop attachment system. The set of decorative pieces are detachably attached to the upper surface of the carrier sheet and comprise a visually distinct design sheet which substantially entirely fills the upper surface of the carrier sheet. Furthermore, the covering has a second set of decorative pieces having a bottom side substantially covered in loops, such loops being one half of a hook and loop attachment system, which are detachably attached to the field of hooks to fill the space around the set of decorative pieces.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a covering for a floor, in which the coveringhas a removable decorative inlay. The decorative inlay has a loopedunderside for attachment to a field of hooks. The inlay itself iscomposed of a plurality of decorative pieces which are attached to acarrier sheet which is itself secured by a hook and loop attachmentsystem to an underlying anchor sheet or other floor containing a fieldof hooks. The decorative pieces may be attached to the carrier sheet bya hook and loop attachment system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Over the past several years, attempts have been made at incorporatinghook and loop (Velcro (TM)) technology into floor coverings,particularly carpeting. There are several advantages to the use of suchtechnology. It is environmentally friendly, permitting connection offlooring components in situ without the use of glues that releasevolatile organics. Hook and loop technology provides a robustconnection, but one that is at the same time releasable, presentingadvantages during installation and permitting replacement of damagedpieces, etc.

An example of the use of hook and loop technology in the field ofcarpets is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,658, which issued to Pacioneon Apr. 14, 1989. The specification of this patent shows a carpet havingloops across its underside for attachment along its edges by means ofhooked strips secured to a floor to be covered by the carpet.

Hook and loop attachment systems, in respect of flooring, provide anopportunity for creation of carpet units from multiple pieces to createinteresting designs.

More recently, use of anchor sheets to cover, more or less, an entirearea to be carpeted has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,306,477, whichissued to Pacione on Oct. 23, 2001. Such an anchor sheet is described ina more detailed way in international patent application No. PCT/CA00/00681, that was published under WO 00/74544 on Dec. 14, 2000, andnames Pacione as the inventor. Each of these cases describes a finalcarpet construction in which multiple carpet pieces are attached acrossthe surface of an underlayment made up of multiple anchor sheets. Thepresent invention relates to this sort of arrangement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention in one aspect, is a floor covering containing aremovable decorative inlay. The decorative inlay is attached to a fieldof hooks which substantially covers a floor to receive the decorativeinlay. The decorative inlay is formed from a carrier sheet, comprising abottom side substantially covered in loops, the carrier sheet isdetachably attached by its loops to the field of hooks. Attached to thecarrier sheet, is a first set of at least five decorative pieces whichcomprises a visually distinct design that substantially entirely fillsthe upper surface of the carrier sheet. There is a second set ofdecorative pieces having a bottom side substantially covered in loopsdetachably attached to the field of hooks to fill the space around theset of decorative pieces.

In one preferred embodiment, the first set of decorative pieces arecarpet pieces, and the second set of decorative pieces are also carpetpieces. The first set in additional aspects of the invention, usuallycomprises groupings of carpet pieces, often in intricate patterns, tocreate coats of arms, pictures, ornamental medallions, and any otherintricate and complicated form of design.

In this way, in the preferred embodiment, the invention is ideallysuited for complicated designs which can be pre-installed on a carriersheet in a factory or other location, transported to a site to beinstalled as a design element into a field of hooks at a flooring site.

In other aspects of the invention, the design could be carpet, ceramic,stone, metal, or wood, which can be installed onto the carrier sheetusing a hook and loop attachment system or permanently installed on thecarrier sheet so that such a design can be inset into a larger field ofcarpet or other material that has been installed on the field of hooks.

In another aspect of the invention, the decorative pieces (for instancecarpet) installed on the carrier sheet, can be of the same height of thedecorative pieces in the surrounding “fill” and are installed directlyonto the field of hooks. In this way, the decorative inlay will be veryslightly raised above the surface of the surrounding carpet materials.In another aspect of the invention, the inlay can be of a thinner orthicker material than the surrounding “fill”, thereby creating otherdesign possibilities.

Related to the invention(s) disclosed herein are invention(s) in thefollowing United States provisional patent applications:

United States Provisional Patent Application entitled “Carpet tile,installation, and methods of manufacture and installation thereof”,filed concurrently herewith and incorporated herein by reference; UnitedStates Provisional Patent Application entitled “System and methods ofmanufacturing hook-plates”, and filed concurrently herewith;

United States Provisional Patent Application entitled “Improved anchorsheet”, and filed concurrently herewith;

United States Provisional Patent Application entitled “Ultrasonicwelding of resilient layers to plates”, and filed concurrently herewith;and

United States Provisional Patent Application entitled “Anchor sheetpositioning and connection system”, and filed concurrently herewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Particular embodiments of the invention are described below withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a prior art floor tile that includes multiple carpet piecesattached to a carrier sheet;

FIG. 2 shows an installation of a decorative inlay of the presentinvention attached to a field of hooks created by an anchor sheetsubfloor;

FIG. 3 shows an installation in which the decorative inlay of FIG. 2 hascarpet pieces as surrounding “fill” attached to the field of hookscreated by a number of anchor sheets;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of the installation of FIG. 3 taken alongline 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional type view of a preferred carpet construction foruse with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional type view of a preferred carrier sheet for usewith the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional type view of a preferred anchor sheet for use witha carrier sheet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows prior art carpet tiles 10, 12.This drawing is based on FIG. 29 contained in the specification of U.S.Pat. No. 6,298,624, which issued on Oct. 9, 2001 to the inventor namedherein, incorporated herein by reference. Each tile includes multiplecarpet pieces 14, 16, 18 which are assembled onto carrier sheet 20,having loops 22 on its underside, to create a unit for installation ontopiece 24. This creates a module as shown in FIG. 1B, that can be usedand installed in an overlapping fashion with other modules as shown inthe '624 Patent. One aspect of the present invention is shown in FIGS.2, 3, and 4. In this case, a carpet installation, 26 is shown. Itincludes a decorative inlay 28 in one preferred embodiment carpetinstallation. The inlay is made up of carpet pieces 30 attached tocarrier sheet 32. The decorative inlay 28 is formed from carpet pieces30 and carrier sheet 32 is attached to the field of hooks created byanchor sheets 36. Carrier sheet 32 is relatively thin in relation to thethickness of carpet pieces 30 and 34 and cannot readably be seen inFIGS. 2 and 3, but can be seen in FIG. 4. Carpet pieces 34 provide the“fill” or background to the decorative inlay 28 and are installeddirectly onto the hooks of the anchor sheet.

Carpet pieces 30 and 34 can be made as the same construction as eachother, or of a different construction from each other. If the carpetpieces are made of the same size and weight, then the decoration canappear to be an integral part of the overall carpet. Because carriersheet 32 is of a relatively low profile in relation to the thickness ofthe carpet, the decorative inlay 28 will only be very slightly raisedabove the surrounding “field”. This slight raising of decorative inlay28 can help to offset the design and can be visually attractive. Theheight will not be sufficient to create an impediment to walking.

Alternatively, carpet pieces 30 and 34 can be made different heights, sothat the decorative piece is at the same height as the “field” createdby carpet pieces 34, or is sunken in relation to carpet pieces 34.

Further alternatively, the decorative pieces 30 can be made of any othermaterial, preferred for the matter, such as stone, ceramic, marble, oreven metal. In a preferred form, the decorative pieces are provided witha loop backing and the carrier sheet has a top side covered in hooks.

Further alternatively, the decorative pieces can be permanently attachedto the carrier sheet. Since the carrier sheet will have loops on theback for detachable attachment to the underlying field of hooks, thepermanent attachment of pieces 30 to the carrier sheet 32 is not ofconcern, as presumably the decorative inlay operates as a stand aloneseparate unit that can be moved, transported and reinserted in anotherbackground or field as desired.

In one preferred embodiment, the carpet is constructed in accordancewith the carpet construction shown in the above-detailed applicationentitled “Carpet Tile, Installation, and Methods of Manufacture.”Typically, such carpet is a laminate made up of an upper first layer 40and a lower second layer 42. The first layer 40 of the carpet includes anonwoven primary backing 44 into which is needle pile yarn 46. Secondlayer 42 includes secondary backing 48 to which are attached lower loops50. The layers are secured to each other by hot melt adhesive 52.

Again, typically the primary backing 44 is a nonwoven fabric. Pile yarn46 is tufted into primary backing 44.

One preferred secondary layer 42 is a tricot knit, supplied by GuilfordMills, Inc. of Greensboro, N.C. Typically, such a tricot knit forms adense substrate which provides for loops 50 on the underside of thesecondary backing 48, which tricot precludes most, if not all, bleedingof hot melt 52 into the loops. Excessive bleeding, of course, is to beavoided as this could interfere with the function of the loops asfasteners.

First and second layers 40, 42 are attached to each other by hot meltlayer 52 which also encapsulates tufts 53. One particular adhesive usedis an ethylene-vinyl acetate-based adhesive known as XP-025 provided byBarrier-Bac, Inc. of Calhoun, Ga. The adhesive is substantially free offiller, organic and inorganic. The overall weight of the carpet of thepresent invention is approximately 80-100 oz per square yard. It willthus be appreciated that it is possible, according to the invention, tohave a carpet, and carpet tile, with a relatively lightweight secondarybacking. Such a backing lacks a stabilizing layer and, as is explainedbelow, is relatively free of filler. Such a carpet or carpet tile haslittle or no inherent dimensional stability of its own in relation toexternally applied physical forces, such as stretching forces, forcesexerted in use by rolling machinery, furniture movement, etc.

The carpet laminate can eventually be cut into tiles at some convenientpoint. This enables a decorative inlay to be created from numerouscarpet pieces. Such pieces installed on a carrier sheet in a factory orother location, can have a complicated pattern, but, as they exist as aself-contained unit on the carrier sheet, can be transported to a site,and installed separately. They can also be removed when a change isdesired.

With the carpet described above, combined with a field of hooks, it ispossible to make a carpet tile of any shape and size to order. Evensmall carpet tiles, i.e. 2″×2″ can be easily incorporated into carpetinstallation. The carpet laminate can be cut through the back or thefront by, for example, an ultrasonic cutting cutter on a plotting table.The cutter can be controlled by software to make any form of pattern ordesign.

Carrier sheet 32 is illustrated separately in FIG. 6. Carrier sheetincludes upper layer 54 and lower layer 56. Upper layer 54, manufacturedof polypropylene, includes base sheet 58 and hooks 60 across the upperside of the sheet. The whole carrier sheet is designed to carry a numberof individual pieces to form a decorative inlay. Generally speaking, itis desired to have the profile as thin as possible, so as not to raisethe decorative inlay above the surrounding “field” or background, otherthan a small amount to perhaps create a slight visual effect withoutimpairing the ability of a person or persons to walk over the decorativeinlay, which would be desirable in most instances.

One particular carrier sheet of the invention includes two extrudedsheets of polypropylene, which are secured together by a hot melt,typically EVA hot melt. The thickness of each two extruded sheets (nottaking into account hooks and loops) is about 0.3 mm, and the bondinglayer is about 0.1 mm. There are alternatives to these sheetscommercially available. Lower layer 56 of the carrier sheet provides thecarrier sheet with loops 62 across the underside of the sheet. Layer 56has the same tricot construction of second layer 42 of carpet 36described above. Layers 54 and 56 are secured to each other by EVA hotmelt 64.

Anchor sheet 36 is illustrated separately in FIG. 7. The preferredembodiment is manufactured in accordance with the description providedin the above-detailed applications entitled “System and methods ofManufacturing hook-plates” and “Improved anchor sheet”. The thickness ofanchor sheet A is about ⅛ inches, and the thickness of the anchor sheetat 66 is about 1/16 inches. The corner of the anchor sheet includes acounter sunk area attachment, for attaching, if desired, to other anchorsheets, or to an underlying floor, as described in WO 0/74544 publishedDec. 14, 2000. The anchor sheet 36 includes a cushion 68 of thicknessthat can be either approximately ¼ inches, or ⅜ inches depending on thedesired resiliency and the amount of surface traffic. The hooks 72 ofthe top surface layer 70 will have a density that may range from160-1200 hooks/square inch, with a preferred density of approximately230 hooks/square inch.

The preferred material for the top surface layer 70 is polypropylene andthe cushion 68 is polyethylene. In a preferred embodiment, the cushion68 is made from linear load density polyethylene with a density ofapproximately 30 kg/m³.

With the floor covering having a decorative inlay formed by anadditional carrier sheet, complicated decorative inlays can be pre-madeand installed into a surrounding field or background.

Such decorative inlays can be moved or replaced to change the look of afloor immediately and inserted and removed to provide personalizedfeatures, such as a family crest or favourite theme or topic. Decorativeinlays can easily be sold as a unit for insertion into a surroundingfield of hooks and can appeal to particular categories of consumers,children, sports fans, music lovers, or virtually any category where aspecific design can be incorporated into a carpet or other decorativeinlay as desired.

The invention disclosed in this preferred embodiment is just one aspectof the invention which is intended to be defined by the claims whichfollow.

1. A floor covering containing a decorative pattern comprising: (i) afield of hooks substantially covering a floor to receive decorativeoverlaid pieces; (ii) a carrier sheet comprising a top sidesubstantially covered in hooks (being one half of a hook and loopattachment system) and a bottom side substantially covered in loops(being a second half of a hook and loop attachment system), the carriersheet detachably attached by its loops to the field of hooks; (iii) afirst set of at least five decorative pieces having a bottom sidesubstantially covered in loops being one half of a hook and loopattachment system, the set of decorative pieces detachably attached tothe upper surface of the carrier sheet and comprising a visuallydistinct design sheet substantially entirely filling the upper surfaceof the carrier sheet, and (iv) a second set of decorative pieces havinga bottom side substantially covered in loops (being one half of a hookand loop attachment system), detachably attached to the field of hooksto fill the space around the set of decorative pieces.
 2. The floorcovering of claim 1 in which the carrier sheet is of a thicknesssubstantially less than the thickness of the decorative pieces.
 3. Thefloor covering of claim 2 in which the first and second set ofdecorative pieces are of the same thickness.
 4. The floor covering ofclaim 3 in which the second set of decorative pieces is carpet.
 5. Thefloor covering of claim 4 in which the first set of decorative pieces iscarpet.
 6. The floor covering of claim 5 in which the first set ofdecorative pieces is wood, ceramic, stone, or metal.
 7. The floorcovering of claim 2 in which the thickness of the first set of pieces isless than the second set of pieces by an amount which substantiallyequals the thickness of the carrier sheet.
 8. The floor covering ofclaim 6 in which the first set of decorative pieces is carpet.
 9. Thefloor covering of claim 7 in which the second set of decorative piecesis carpet, wood, ceramic, stone, or metal.
 10. The floor covering ofclaim 8 in which the carrier sheet has a thickness of from 0.2 mm to 2mm.
 11. A method of creating a floor covering having decorative inlayscomprising: (i) laying a field of hooks on a floor; (ii) assembling atleast five decorative pieces having a bottom side substantially coveredin loops onto a hooked surface of a carrier sheet having a top surfaceof hooks and a bottom surface of loops to create a design; (iii)detachably attaching the carrier sheet unto a field of hooks; (iv)attaching a plurality of pieces having a bottom side substantiallycovered in loops onto the field of hooks surrounding the carrier sheetto create a field or background for the design on the carrier sheet. 12.A floor covering containing a decorative pattern comprising: (i) a fieldof hooks substantially covering a floor to receive decorative overlaidpieces; (ii) a carrier sheet comprising a bottom side substantiallycovered in loops of a hook and loop attachment system, the carrier sheetdetachably attached by its loops to the field of hooks; (iii) a firstset of at least five decorative pieces, the set of decorative piecesattached to the upper surface of the carrier sheet and comprising avisually distinct design sheet substantially entirely filling the uppersurface of the carrier sheet, and (iv) a second set of decorative pieceshaving a bottom side substantially covered in loops of the hook and loopattachment system, detachably attached to the field of hooks to fill thespace around the set of decorative pieces.